Soloists beware! Coldharbour Elite Guard (IC sewers)

SkaiFaith · August 20

There are many different Coldharbour Elite Guards and some are easy; others are kinda impossible to solo.

Just to give a background, I soloed:
All zones' wandering WB up to Tragan the minotaur;
All world events other than Nymics (never even entered in one)
Normal DLC Dungeons like Graven Deep and Earthen Root Enclave
World Bosses such as The Prime Cataloger, Walks Like Thunder and Ysenda The Resplendent
Infinite Archive up to Arc 5

I swear it's not a post to brag - I used to read posts like this when I started my solo adventure and I used to look at them as goals to achieve.

So... For any soloists out there: Beware! Coldharbour Elite Guards, at least some, are absolute beasts! Good luck!

If anyone has stories to share about them please tell me

(or any soloist story, really)

Ishtarknows · August 20

Most of them are soloable (it's knowing what to focus on, mainly adds or portals they spawn) but many of them have mechs which fear you into walls or under the ground which is incredibly irritating and can lead to loss of telvar through no fault of your own. I avoid them completely now

SkaiFaith · August 20

Yesterday I was going for IC Skyshards and I dealt with ease with the first Guard which was a mage. I then encountered a Guard which used dual wielding daggers and it kept stunning me and hitting me with heavy attacks and skills that dealt huge damage, while also disappearing and becoming unhittable. It humiliated me.
Edit: (Yes, I think it also feared me and placed couple AoEs)

Orbital78 · August 20

One type likes to knock you through the floor. Most are a challenge but not too bad. I haven't farmed them in quite some time, but the melee one with the enrage spins was rougher.

tsaescishoeshiner · August 20

All of the banner bosses are soloable, but harder than overland bosses for sure.

In fact, I drag them into the cramped tunnels so that any other player who tries to join will get one-shot by their mechanics (and leave my farm alone lol).

You might need at least lower end PvP stats—30k health, a lot of resistances, and movement speed helps a lot to avoid their AoE. Each one has 2-3 mechanics from a fixed pool, and you have to recognize them and know what to do. For example, block the shield knockback or get knocked inside a wall, or keep moving for the ones that create the draining AoE effect.

I enjoy the challenge, I wouldn't mind more content like the banner bosses, especially in PvP areas.

whitecrow · August 20

RUN AWAY!

Renato90085 · August 20

I remember they all can solo,but since I alway in PvP zone have 500-900ping , I long time not do this
Did I miss any change or something

SkaiFaith · August 20

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

All of the banner bosses are soloable, but harder than overland bosses for sure.

In fact, I drag them into the cramped tunnels so that any other player who tries to join will get one-shot by their mechanics (and leave my farm alone lol).

You might need at least lower end PvP stats—30k health, a lot of resistances, and movement speed helps a lot to avoid their AoE. Each one has 2-3 mechanics from a fixed pool, and you have to recognize them and know what to do. For example, block the shield knockback or get knocked inside a wall, or keep moving for the ones that create the draining AoE effect.

I enjoy the challenge, I wouldn't mind more content like the banner bosses, especially in PvP areas.

Good to know they are soloable! I had 35K Health and almost 30K resistance, I think what killed me was the fact I had finished my Stamina, so I was condemned...
I'm glad to have confirmation they are some of the hardest bosses to exist - It wasn't a dream of mine XD
And congrats to anyone capable of soloing the hardest ones!

colossalvoids · August 20

The cool thing about those for me was that you're never enter IC with pure pve build so you're definitely not gonna steamroll those as you do usually in other places. Remember running around years ago collecting all of them on a brawlerblade, was good fun for the time.

ApoAlaia · August 20

I find Bolt Escape (and morphs) useful with banners along with making the most of LoS.

Keeping them at arm's length is preferable for the reason already stated (being clipped into collisions is meh).

I don't really farm them anymore though; got the achievement, moving on. Is a PvP enabled area I'm more of a PvD player myself.

The most satisfying part of PvP in ESO for me is avoiding it as much as possible.

tsaescishoeshiner · August 20

SkaiFaith wrote: »

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

All of the banner bosses are soloable, but harder than overland bosses for sure.

In fact, I drag them into the cramped tunnels so that any other player who tries to join will get one-shot by their mechanics (and leave my farm alone lol).

You might need at least lower end PvP stats—30k health, a lot of resistances, and movement speed helps a lot to avoid their AoE. Each one has 2-3 mechanics from a fixed pool, and you have to recognize them and know what to do. For example, block the shield knockback or get knocked inside a wall, or keep moving for the ones that create the draining AoE effect.

I enjoy the challenge, I wouldn't mind more content like the banner bosses, especially in PvP areas.

Good to know they are soloable! I had 35K Health and almost 30K resistance, I think what killed me was the fact I had finished my Stamina, so I was condemned...
I'm glad to have confirmation they are some of the hardest bosses to exist - It wasn't a dream of mine XD
And congrats to anyone capable of soloing the hardest ones!

Ah then it might come down to sustain and learning to aboid the attacks. I mix a lot of heavy attacks in with my rotation (which, on a PvP build, is not high DPS or as high sustain as PvE).

For example, they need to be kited sometimes. Some of the melee ones have a berserk, turning red and gaining a lot of damage on their light attacks that I can't outheal.

They're much harder on melee characters, for sure. I personally fight them on a werewolf for fun, but it's riskier.

I think they're very rewarding for a solo player because you get to learn a few patterns, and the Tel Var is nice, albeit slower than running around with a small boss group topside.

SkaiFaith · August 20

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

SkaiFaith wrote: »

tsaescishoeshiner wrote: »

All of the banner bosses are soloable, but harder than overland bosses for sure.

In fact, I drag them into the cramped tunnels so that any other player who tries to join will get one-shot by their mechanics (and leave my farm alone lol).

You might need at least lower end PvP stats—30k health, a lot of resistances, and movement speed helps a lot to avoid their AoE. Each one has 2-3 mechanics from a fixed pool, and you have to recognize them and know what to do. For example, block the shield knockback or get knocked inside a wall, or keep moving for the ones that create the draining AoE effect.

I enjoy the challenge, I wouldn't mind more content like the banner bosses, especially in PvP areas.

Good to know they are soloable! I had 35K Health and almost 30K resistance, I think what killed me was the fact I had finished my Stamina, so I was condemned...
I'm glad to have confirmation they are some of the hardest bosses to exist - It wasn't a dream of mine XD
And congrats to anyone capable of soloing the hardest ones!

Ah then it might come down to sustain and learning to aboid the attacks. I mix a lot of heavy attacks in with my rotation (which, on a PvP build, is not high DPS or as high sustain as PvE).

For example, they need to be kited sometimes. Some of the melee ones have a berserk, turning red and gaining a lot of damage on their light attacks that I can't outheal.

They're much harder on melee characters, for sure. I personally fight them on a werewolf for fun, but it's riskier.

I think they're very rewarding for a solo player because you get to learn a few patterns, and the Tel Var is nice, albeit slower than running around with a small boss group topside.

I had my only heal on Stamina, but I had to block, dodge, break free, heal and I couldn't out-heal the high melee damage. It was brutal. Also because I had a staff as weapon so no resources back from heavy.
Would have been better with a Magicka heal for sure, but still I think you are right and some series of attacks must be kited or else you die... (Unfortunately I was also in tunnels)

Gabriel_H · August 20

Boss with Vamp totems is the worst, but killable with thought, patience and a big stick

OutLaw_Nynx · August 21

whitecrow wrote: »

RUN AWAY!

“ They are sweeper bosses; they patrol various parts of the sewers in a looping path and will become hostile should they detect you or a group member, which makes them difficult to escape as they are not leashed”

They will chase you until you kill them.

Elvenheart · August 21

Although this isn’t related to IC, here is my little soloing story.

I will always remember the first time I ever soloed a world boss. It was years ago, one of the WB’s in Stormhaven, somewhere along the eastern side I think. If I was in the game right now, I could know exactly which one it was. None of the soloing adventures I’ve had since then compares to the excitement I felt when I did this. At this point I had yet to ever try to solo any of the dungeons or any other world bosses or anything else considered a group activity, and it wasn’t yet a thing that was talked about very much on the forum so the idea had just not occurred to me that it was even possible. It was quite by accident really, I think I was there and got too close and the fight started, and I assumed other people would show up but they didn’t so I just kept fighting and fighting until I finally killed it. I was shocked and stunned that I was able to and I even announced it in zone chat at the time. I remember someone asking me which boss it was.

That was the start of my attempts to solo group content. Since then, I’ve soloed most of the WBs and NORMAL dungeons in the game. Last night, I soloed one of the newest ones, Black Gem Foundry. They’ve all been fun, but I’ve never felt exactly the same excitement that I felt that first time with that first WB in Stormhaven!😊

Djennku · August 21

These guys can be tough if your character is too squishy, but they can be managed and even easily soloed once you learn and get familiar and eventually confortable with their mechs.

One big thing to watch out for is the melee bosses' enrage (enemy shoves you back and turns red), and it's best to kite them and let them go back to normal if you cannot take the hits.

Biggest mechs per enemy type:

DW/2h, block or dodge that heavy

Fire staff: he puts his hand in the air, start walking sideways, fire circle always from where you stood.

Totems: priority number 1, they heal boss.

Ice staff: don't stand in ice, walk sideways for the winds.

Any of them: they channel a heal. Break their damage shield then bash/interrupt.

Anyone chains you in: break free and walk backwards or dodge if you need.

Also, depending on where in the sewers you fight there guys, you can go up/down stairs to keep them walking and keep your distance if enraged.

GOOD LUCK!!

SkaiFaith · August 21

Elvenheart wrote: »

Although this isn’t related to IC, here is my little soloing story.

I will always remember the first time I ever soloed a world boss. It was years ago, one of the WB’s in Stormhaven, somewhere along the eastern side I think. If I was in the game right now, I could know exactly which one it was. None of the soloing adventures I’ve had since then compares to the excitement I felt when I did this. At this point I had yet to ever try to solo any of the dungeons or any other world bosses or anything else considered a group activity, and it wasn’t yet a thing that was talked about very much on the forum so the idea had just not occurred to me that it was even possible. It was quite by accident really, I think I was there and got too close and the fight started, and I assumed other people would show up but they didn’t so I just kept fighting and fighting until I finally killed it. I was shocked and stunned that I was able to and I even announced it in zone chat at the time. I remember someone asking me which boss it was.

That was the start of my attempts to solo group content. Since then, I’ve soloed most of the WBs and NORMAL dungeons in the game. Last night, I soloed one of the newest ones, Black Gem Foundry. They’ve all been fun, but I’ve never felt exactly the same excitement that I felt that first time with that first WB in Stormhaven!😊

Awesome!

Thanks for sharing!
I remember I used to run away 'til I finished stamina when I accidentally aggroed WBs solo XD
Happy to hear about you soloing Black Gem Foundry

I'll have to try...

Djennku wrote: »

These guys can be tough if your character is too squishy, but they can be managed and even easily soloed once you learn and get familiar and eventually confortable with their mechs.

One big thing to watch out for is the melee bosses' enrage (enemy shoves you back and turns red), and it's best to kite them and let them go back to normal if you cannot take the hits.

Biggest mechs per enemy type:

DW/2h, block or dodge that heavy

Fire staff: he puts his hand in the air, start walking sideways, fire circle always from where you stood.

Totems: priority number 1, they heal boss.

Ice staff: don't stand in ice, walk sideways for the winds.

Any of them: they channel a heal. Break their damage shield then bash/interrupt.

Anyone chains you in: break free and walk backwards or dodge if you need.

Also, depending on where in the sewers you fight there guys, you can go up/down stairs to keep them walking and keep your distance if enraged.

GOOD LUCK!!

Thank you for all the precious tips!

tsaescishoeshiner · August 21

OutLaw_Nynx wrote: »

whitecrow wrote: »

RUN AWAY!

“ They are sweeper bosses; they patrol various parts of the sewers in a looping path and will become hostile should they detect you or a group member, which makes them difficult to escape as they are not leashed”

They will chase you until you kill them.

They disengage if you run far enough from their loop/where you started fighting them. The range is considerably longer than a normal mob (or based on the loop? not sure). But I've run away plenty of times.